Steve Alexander

Basketball Daily Dose

Big Al: Please Don't Go

Monday, as usual, brought plenty of injury news, as well as some big performances on a relatively quiet seven-game night. Let’s dive in.

Injury Report

Al Jefferson F/C Jazz – Jefferson played Monday despite the recent death of his grandmother and went off for 33 points, 12 boards and two blocks on 14-of-18 shooting. He’s got a five-game week, but the bad news is that he’s now pretty iffy for Saturday and Sunday’s games, with the funeral set for Friday. Hopefully he continues to play well and makes it through at least four games this week. If he’s out over the weekend, Derrick Favors becomes a nice pick-and-play.

Deron Williams PG Nets – Williams was out again on Monday and is iffy for the rest of the week with a calf injury. Jordan Farmar is a must-own player until further notice, and had 17 points, seven assists and two 3-pointers on Monday. The shutdown alert is officially on for Williams, but for now, just keep him on your bench until you see he’s going to return from his injury.

Rudy Gay SF Grizzlies – Gay has a concussion, leaving his status for this week in doubt. He’ll have to pass a series of tests to be cleared to play and the Grizzlies only have three games this week. Owners have to hope he’s cleared to play this week, but I benched him in mine, and feel good about it. He should really pay off when the Grizzlies play five times in Weeks 15 and 16.

Jose Calderon PG Raptors – The Raptors are hopeful that Calderon will return from his ankle injury at some point on the team’s upcoming five-game road trip, and I benched him in some leagues, and cut him in another. I’m in a must-win situation in order to make the playoffs, and went with Gordon Hayward for five games instead of a bunch of possible zeros from Calderon this week. Jerryd Bayless is the guy to add if you can, while Leandro Barbosa should also do well if JC is out all week.

Stephen Curry PG Warriors – The Warriors are saying that Curry’s injury problems are a bunch of unrelated freak accidents, and plan on running him out there until further notice. If you own him, this is good news, but he’s simply a mess. Keep plugging him in there (and praying) when it sounds like he’ll play, but it’s become obvious that he is going to be a fantasy bust this season thanks to injuries. Maybe he’ll get hot and help owners win a championship, but given how this season has gone, those same owners might have a tough time making it to the fantasy postseason. Consider him a game-time decision for Tuesday with another sprained ankle.

Kevin Martin SG Rockets – Martin is a game-time decision for Tuesday with a shoulder injury, and hasn’t scored more than seven points in his last three games, so don’t hold your breath for an explosion if he does go on Tuesday.

Manu Ginobili SG Spurs - Ginobili appeared to see his leg tighten up late in Monday's game and Gregg Popovich said that's exactly what happened. Expect some DNP's from Manu going forward, as the Spurs have a whopping 20 back-to-back games on the schedule between now and the end of the season, when they play a total of 26 games. And owners of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker should also be concerned about being blindsided by mystery DNP's going forward.

Corey Maggette G/F Bobcats – Maggette, who was one of the hottest scorers in the league coming into Monday, lasted just eight minutes before leaving with back spasms. Hopefully they subside on Tuesday, but consider him iffy at Houston on Wednesday. I’m going to hold him until then, and might be forced to move on if it appears he’ll miss several games.

Luol Deng SF Bulls – Deng was out again on Monday and is iffy for Wednesday with his sore wrist. Kyle Korver had nine points, seven boards, three assists and two 3-pointers last night in another start, but should become useless when Deng returns.

Hedo Turkoglu G/F Magic – Turkoglu’s one-game suspension is over and he will likely start on Tuesday against the Heat.

Michael Beasley F Timberwolves – Beasley hit 6-of-7 shots for 15 points and two 3-pointers in 16 minutes before leaving Monday’s game with a toe injury. Consider him iffy for his next game, and continue to look at Derrick Williams, who hit 7-of-10 shots and two more 3-pointers on his way to 19 points, eight boards, two steals and two blocks on Monday. While it doesn’t make sense as to why a point-guard injury would benefit a power forward, Williams looks like a must-own player over the rest of the season.

Chris Kaman C Hornets – Kaman tweaked his hip and hit just 6-of-19 shots, but still finished with 12 points, 16 boards and three blocks in a loss to the Bobcats Monday. With Emeka Okafor not seeming close to a return, and all this trade deadline talk possibly heading nowhere, Kaman remains a must-start fantasy player for now.

Ray Allen SG Celtics – Ray Allen tweaked his right ankle on Monday but appears to be fine. He finished with 15 points and two 3-pointers, and should be OK going forward.

Carl Landry PF Hornets – Landry is expected back from his knee injury sometime this week, which will hurt Gustavo Ayon. Ayon hit just 1-of-6 shots last night, but did have two points, four rebounds, four steals and a block in a loss to the Bobcats. Once Landry is back, Ayon can probably be dropped if there’s a hot free agent you have your eye on.

Emeka Okafor C Hornets – There’s still no timetable on the return of Okafor from a knee injury, so keep rolling with Kaman.

Jose Juan Barea G Timberwolves – JJB returned from an ankle injury on Monday, but had just three points in 15 minutes. He should see a boost in minutes with Ricky Rubio’s season over, but will have to prove he can stay healthy himself before it’s going to happen.

George Hill G Pacers – Hill is hoping to return from a shoulder injury on Tuesday, but it’s anyone’s guess if it will happen. You have to be in a deep league to be reliant on Hill’s availability right now.

Brendan Haywood C Mavericks – Haywood is hoping to return from his sprained ankle on Tuesday.

Anderson Varejao C Cavaliers – Varejao will be re-evaluated next week and doesn’t appear to be close to a return from his wrist injury. The Cavs play four or five games per week from here on out, but whether you can wait on him is the real question.

Eric Gordon SG Hornets – The Hornets are hoping to have Gordon back by the end of the month from his knee injury, but I’m not holding my breath. Nor am I holding Gordon.

Thabo Sefolosha SG Thunder - Sefolosha appears to be nearing a return from a foot injury, but unless you’re in a 30-team league, it doesn’t matter (thank you, James Harden).

Rashard Lewis F Wizards – Lewis was out again on Monday with a knee injury and there’s no timetable on his return. Ignore him for now.

Mike Miller G/F Heat – Miller is likely to miss at least a week with a sprained ankle, but didn’t really offer fantasy value when healthy. James Jones could see a boost in his absence, along with Shane Battier.

Monday, as usual, brought plenty of injury news, as well as some big performances on a relatively quiet seven-game night. Let’s dive in.

Injury Report

Al Jefferson F/C Jazz – Jefferson played Monday despite the recent death of his grandmother and went off for 33 points, 12 boards and two blocks on 14-of-18 shooting. He’s got a five-game week, but the bad news is that he’s now pretty iffy for Saturday and Sunday’s games, with the funeral set for Friday. Hopefully he continues to play well and makes it through at least four games this week. If he’s out over the weekend, Derrick Favors becomes a nice pick-and-play.

Deron Williams PG Nets – Williams was out again on Monday and is iffy for the rest of the week with a calf injury. Jordan Farmar is a must-own player until further notice, and had 17 points, seven assists and two 3-pointers on Monday. The shutdown alert is officially on for Williams, but for now, just keep him on your bench until you see he’s going to return from his injury.

Rudy Gay SF Grizzlies – Gay has a concussion, leaving his status for this week in doubt. He’ll have to pass a series of tests to be cleared to play and the Grizzlies only have three games this week. Owners have to hope he’s cleared to play this week, but I benched him in mine, and feel good about it. He should really pay off when the Grizzlies play five times in Weeks 15 and 16.

Jose Calderon PG Raptors – The Raptors are hopeful that Calderon will return from his ankle injury at some point on the team’s upcoming five-game road trip, and I benched him in some leagues, and cut him in another. I’m in a must-win situation in order to make the playoffs, and went with Gordon Hayward for five games instead of a bunch of possible zeros from Calderon this week. Jerryd Bayless is the guy to add if you can, while Leandro Barbosa should also do well if JC is out all week.

Stephen Curry PG Warriors – The Warriors are saying that Curry’s injury problems are a bunch of unrelated freak accidents, and plan on running him out there until further notice. If you own him, this is good news, but he’s simply a mess. Keep plugging him in there (and praying) when it sounds like he’ll play, but it’s become obvious that he is going to be a fantasy bust this season thanks to injuries. Maybe he’ll get hot and help owners win a championship, but given how this season has gone, those same owners might have a tough time making it to the fantasy postseason. Consider him a game-time decision for Tuesday with another sprained ankle.

Kevin Martin SG Rockets – Martin is a game-time decision for Tuesday with a shoulder injury, and hasn’t scored more than seven points in his last three games, so don’t hold your breath for an explosion if he does go on Tuesday.

Manu Ginobili SG Spurs - Ginobili appeared to see his leg tighten up late in Monday's game and Gregg Popovich said that's exactly what happened. Expect some DNP's from Manu going forward, as the Spurs have a whopping 20 back-to-back games on the schedule between now and the end of the season, when they play a total of 26 games. And owners of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker should also be concerned about being blindsided by mystery DNP's going forward.

Corey Maggette G/F Bobcats – Maggette, who was one of the hottest scorers in the league coming into Monday, lasted just eight minutes before leaving with back spasms. Hopefully they subside on Tuesday, but consider him iffy at Houston on Wednesday. I’m going to hold him until then, and might be forced to move on if it appears he’ll miss several games.

Luol Deng SF Bulls – Deng was out again on Monday and is iffy for Wednesday with his sore wrist. Kyle Korver had nine points, seven boards, three assists and two 3-pointers last night in another start, but should become useless when Deng returns.

Hedo Turkoglu G/F Magic – Turkoglu’s one-game suspension is over and he will likely start on Tuesday against the Heat.

Michael Beasley F Timberwolves – Beasley hit 6-of-7 shots for 15 points and two 3-pointers in 16 minutes before leaving Monday’s game with a toe injury. Consider him iffy for his next game, and continue to look at Derrick Williams, who hit 7-of-10 shots and two more 3-pointers on his way to 19 points, eight boards, two steals and two blocks on Monday. While it doesn’t make sense as to why a point-guard injury would benefit a power forward, Williams looks like a must-own player over the rest of the season.

Chris Kaman C Hornets – Kaman tweaked his hip and hit just 6-of-19 shots, but still finished with 12 points, 16 boards and three blocks in a loss to the Bobcats Monday. With Emeka Okafor not seeming close to a return, and all this trade deadline talk possibly heading nowhere, Kaman remains a must-start fantasy player for now.

Ray Allen SG Celtics – Ray Allen tweaked his right ankle on Monday but appears to be fine. He finished with 15 points and two 3-pointers, and should be OK going forward.

Carl Landry PF Hornets – Landry is expected back from his knee injury sometime this week, which will hurt Gustavo Ayon. Ayon hit just 1-of-6 shots last night, but did have two points, four rebounds, four steals and a block in a loss to the Bobcats. Once Landry is back, Ayon can probably be dropped if there’s a hot free agent you have your eye on.

Emeka Okafor C Hornets – There’s still no timetable on the return of Okafor from a knee injury, so keep rolling with Kaman.

Jose Juan Barea G Timberwolves – JJB returned from an ankle injury on Monday, but had just three points in 15 minutes. He should see a boost in minutes with Ricky Rubio’s season over, but will have to prove he can stay healthy himself before it’s going to happen.

George Hill G Pacers – Hill is hoping to return from a shoulder injury on Tuesday, but it’s anyone’s guess if it will happen. You have to be in a deep league to be reliant on Hill’s availability right now.

Brendan Haywood C Mavericks – Haywood is hoping to return from his sprained ankle on Tuesday.

Anderson Varejao C Cavaliers – Varejao will be re-evaluated next week and doesn’t appear to be close to a return from his wrist injury. The Cavs play four or five games per week from here on out, but whether you can wait on him is the real question.

Eric Gordon SG Hornets – The Hornets are hoping to have Gordon back by the end of the month from his knee injury, but I’m not holding my breath. Nor am I holding Gordon.

Thabo Sefolosha SG Thunder - Sefolosha appears to be nearing a return from a foot injury, but unless you’re in a 30-team league, it doesn’t matter (thank you, James Harden).

Rashard Lewis F Wizards – Lewis was out again on Monday with a knee injury and there’s no timetable on his return. Ignore him for now.

Mike Miller G/F Heat – Miller is likely to miss at least a week with a sprained ankle, but didn’t really offer fantasy value when healthy. James Jones could see a boost in his absence, along with Shane Battier.

Game News

Bucks Down Nets - Mike Dunleavy had 15 points, four boards, six dimes, two steals and a 3-pointer last night, and remains a nice add in all formats, despite coming off the bench “behind” Tobias Harris. Ersan Ilyasova finally cooled off on Monday, finishing with four points on 2-of-6 shooting in 24 foul-plagued minutes, but will bounce back. Brandon Jennings went bonkers with 34 points, six 3-pointers, seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks, as trade rumors appear to have gotten him fired up. Drew Gooden was also solid again with 23 points, eight boards, seven assists, a steal and a 3-pointer, and if you played them over a 4-gamer with just three games this week, so far, so good.

Kris Humphries went nuts with a career-high 31 points and 18 rebounds on 11-of-15 shooting, and also had two steals and three blocks in the loss. Anthony Morrow got hot for 17 points and a 3-pointer on 8-of-11 shooting, but you can’t expect him to shoot it like this on most nights. Gerald Green had 11 points and six boards in 30 minutes, and remains a player to keep a very close eye on going forward, despite being on his second 10-day contract.

Bobcats Take Hornets – Bismack Biyombo hit 6-of-7 shots for a career-high 12 points to go along with seven rebounds, a steal and four blocks, including the game-saver against Trevor Ariza. Make sure BB is not available in your league. Gerald Henderson played very well with 15 points, six boards, three assists, a steal and a block, but didn’t hit a 3-pointer, despite being a shooting guard.

The Hornets got 15 points, four boards, nine assists, a block and a 3-pointer from Jarrett Jack, while most of his teammates were solid, but not spectacular. Trevor Ariza had 12 points and a full stat line, and should be starting in most leagues.

Knicks Lose Again – J.R. Smith played just nine minutes and had five points, as his up and down season continues. Like many of his teammates, he’s simply too inconsistent to be relied upon. Carmelo Anthony hit just 8-of-21 shots for 21 points, eight rebounds and a 3-pointer, Jeremy Lin had 15 points, eight assists, three steals, three blocks and a 3-pointer, and committed just three turnovers in the loss. Amare Stoudemire added 20 points, but had just three rebounds and a block as the Knicks lost for the sixth straight time, and have only won two games since Melo returned from a groin injury. Blame Melo and his negative body language all you want, but three boards from Amare is simply unacceptable. One person we can’t blame for New York’s problems is Lin, and I doubt any of his owners are complaining about the eight dimes, three steals and three blocks.

For the Bulls, Taj Gibson quietly had 15 points and 13 boards off the bench, Derrick Rose had 32-6-7, and Joakim Noah returned from an illness with 12 points, 10 boards, five dimes, two steals and three blocks. Deng should be back soon, which will hurt Kyle Korver (nine points, two 3-pointers in the start).

Spurs Handle McGee, Wizards – The Spurs welcomed back Tony Parker from a thigh injury with 31 points, seven assists and lights-out shooting (13-of-18), but just beware that Gregg Popovich could choose to sit him at any time, as the Spurs still have nine sets of back-to-back games this season (and even more if you count back-to-back-to-backs). Tiago Splitter had 17 points, seven boards and a steal on 7-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes, while DeJuan Blair added 11 points and 12 boards in 26 minutes, making them both worth a look in fantasy leagues going forward.

JaVale McGee went off for 21 points, 15 rebounds, a steal and a block on 9-of-13 shooting, and is off to a great start in his five-game week. Trevor Booker had just 11 points and three rebounds, while Andray Blatche added nine points and four boards in 17 minutes off the bench. This looks to be heading toward a timeshare in the near future, but I’m still not feeling Blatche in fantasy. And speaking of timeshares, Jordan Crawford started and hit 7-of-18 shots and three 3-pointers for 19 points, four rebounds and five assists, while Nick Young had 18 points and four 3-pointers on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench. If you started one of these two guys, the week got off to a great start.

Utah Downs Detroit – The Jazz got a big game from Al Jefferson (see above), while Devin Harris returned from an illness for 19 points, eight assists, two steals and two 3-pointers in 30 minutes. Gordon Hayward (8 points) and Josh Howard (9 points) weren’t great, but still have four more games this week to prove their worth.

The Pistons got 29 points, four boards, seven assists and two steals on 10-of-17 shooting from Rodney Stuckey, who came in hot and should have been in all starting lineups this week. Greg Monroe had 14 points, five boards, five assists, two steals and a block, but the rest of the Pistons were fairly underwhelming. Jason Maxiell did add eight points, four boards and three blocks in another start, and still looks like a nice add in many leagues right now.

Wolves Win Over Suns – Luke Ridnour wasn’t great last night, but still had 10 points, four rebounds, nine assists and a block in the absence of Ricky Rubio, and remains a must-own player. Nikola Pekovic, who destroyed owners last week when he missed a couple games, remained hot, going for 24 points, eight boards and two steals. He’s averaging nearly 23 points, 11 boards and a steal over his last three games. Kevin Love was at it again with 30 points, seven boards and five more 3-pointers, as his dream season continues. If you’re looking for a Derrick Williams or Michael Beasley update, please see the injury report at the start of this column.

For the Suns, those of you who grabbed and started Jared Dudley for his five-game week couldn’t be happier right now. He went off for a season-high 28 points to go along with nine boards, a steal, a block and two 3-pointers on 10-of-15 shooting in the loss. I had him on my roster in League Freak, but cut him briefly a while back and allowed Rick Kamla to pick him up. Now Kamla is torturing me with him this week, which isn’t fun. Steve Nash had 25 points, 10 assists and two 3-pointers, Channing Frye went off for 18 points, five boards, four dimes, two steals, a block and four 3-pointers on 7-of-11 shooting, Grant Hill had 10 points, four assists and a steal in 32 minutes, while Shannon Brown added 11 points, five boards and three assists on 4-of-13 shooting in 28 minutes. When Grant Hill gets a random day off in the midst of this “old-man’s nightmare,” Brown could have a big game. Marcin Gortat was the lone disappointment, with just eight points, four rebounds and zero blocks, but he still has four games this week to make up for it.

Boston Clips Clippers – Rajon Rondo had 12 points, 10 assists, three steals and six turnovers in Monday’s win, Ray Allen scored 15 (and avoided a major injury – see above), Paul Pierce had 25 points, seven rebounds and three 3-pointers, and Kevin Garnett added 21 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in another start at center. If KG doesn’t qualify at center in your league yet, I’m not sure he will. Brandon Bass, who looks like a smart pickup with news that Chris Wilcox is likely done for the season with a heart problem, added 10 points and nine boards in the win.

For the Clippers and their five-game week, Randy Foye and Caron Butler laid eggs. Foye was 1-of-4 with three points in 20 minutes, while Butler was 3-of-13 for seven points, but at least had nine rebounds. I thought Foye was good to go, but Mo Williams was too hot tonight. Mo-Will had 21 points, four steals and a 3-pointer, Blake Griffin added 24 points, nine boards and a block, hitting 9-of-15 shots and 6-of-8 free throws, and DeAndre Jordan had six points, 13 rebounds, a steal and a block. If you started any of these guys not named Foye or Butler, things seem to be off to a good start. Chris Paul was shaky early in this one, but looked great in the fourth quarter, and still has four games this week to make up for last night’s 14-point effort on 3-of-12 shooting.

Steve "Dr. A" Alexander is the senior editor for the NBA for Rotoworld.com and a contributor to NBCSports.com. The 2016-17 NBA season marks (at least) his 15th year of covering fantasy hoops for Rotoworld. Follow him on Twitter - @Docktora.Email :Steve Alexander